Cycling may not automatically spring to mind when considering Dubai's desertscape, but that didn't deter Wolfi Hohmann when he came to the emirate from Germany to set up a bicycle shop. Celebrating their 12th anniversary in August, his shop and the cycling club he helped found - Dubai Roadsters - are as much a part of the landscape as the dunes themselves.

A fun, sociable way to keep fit, cycling has taken off in Dubai in the past five years, according to Hohmann. Dubai Roadsters meet at the Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park - a camel racing track converted in 2012 - before heading out on 50-70km rides on Sunday and Tuesday evenings, and up to 140km rides to Al Awir on Friday mornings.

"It's a stunning location," says Hohmann;"You ride right through the dunes."

For even more dedicated cyclists, Dubai Roadsters organises twice-yearly coast-to-coast rides from Dubai to Fujairah. "Riding 220km from the Arabian [Gulf] to the Indian Ocean is something special," explains Hohmann.

Dubai's cycling scene caters for the more leisurely cyclist, too. For those starting out, there are 'Revolution Nights' at Dubai's Autodrome, which closes its track to cars for 3 hours every Wednesday, allowing runners, joggers and cyclists to take over the 2.46km circuit.

"It's an ideal opportunity for anyone who wants to test out a bike or see if the sport is for them," says Stewart Howison, managing partner of Revolution Cycles - which sponsors the event - and organiser of Cycle Safe Dubai (CSD). Now, up to 600 people attend the nights in the winter months. Â

Cycle Safe Dubai encourages people to get into cycling and do it safely. Its 2,000 Facebook group members will soon benefit from even more facilities at Al Qudra Road Cycle Path. "We're going to have close to 140km of dedicated cycle path out in the desert, which is open 24/7," says Howison. "So now we've got an absolutely perfect place to go and ride."

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